"Yesterday morning, after the inspection, they told me that I was leaving in half an hour, but they didn't tell me where. ... We found out about the exchange by accident on the way."
The returned prisoners also reportedly included some mobilized Russian fighters and contract soldiers, including kadyrovtsy, the notoriously ruthless troops named for Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
"The overall strategic position of the city remains under the control of Ukraine," Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk, said on Oct. 18.
"What (Zelensky) outlined yesterday in the Ukrainian parliament is more than terrifying," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote, urging EU leaders to start talks with Moscow "as soon as possible."
While Trump was quick to blame U.S. and Ukrainian leadership for the full-scale war during an interview on Oct. 17, he made no mention of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We officially refute the insinuations of unnamed sources in the Bild publication regarding Ukraine's alleged plans to develop weapons of mass destruction."
The shift could extend the training program by months, delaying the Ukrainian squadron's battlefield readiness even further.
Hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses, embassies, and media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, received bomb threats via email on Oct. 14, prompting evacuations. The threats were connected to a recent investigation by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty into Russian security services' sabotage in Ukraine.
In light of "information that Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil, I would like to reiterate that it's an obligation for the Brazilian authorities as a state party of the Rome Statute to arrest him if he dares to visit," Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence, Russia's plans for the fall and winter include "the actual involvement of North Korea in the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 14.
The government is now holding "serious discussions" about relinquishing its aim of full territorial restoration, an unnamed official told Der Spiegel.
"We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea. This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces."
"We need to understand here that this can only be done in such a way that if we buy, then Ukraine gets more money. And they will be able to produce more for their army," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said.
"They just overpowered us," an officer in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, one of the units defending Vuhledar, told The Washington Post. The officer said Russia's access to Starlink was a key factor in the loss of the city.
"It's time to now craft a new strategy in terms of (the allies') specific positions," a senior U.S. official said. Defense ministers from NATO member nations will convene in Brussels Oct. 17-18 to discuss the matter.
"I don't have an appetite for further Ukraine funding, and I hope it's not necessary," U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Oct. 11.
Video footage taken at the scene shows officers stationed outside the doors to the venue, intercepting male attendees as they exited the concert. Officers are shown forcibly arresting some men.
"Let's not forget, it is concerning, especially when we know the former president was lobbying against more aid for Ukraine — to Ukraine to defend themselves against Russia's aggression," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Drones attacked the Khanskaya military airfield in Russia's Republic of Adygea in the early hours of Oct. 10, causing a fire at the site. Local authorities have not commented on the attack.
The reliable flow of supplies into the region and Russia's focus on eastern Ukraine will allow Kyiv to hold territory in Kursk Oblast for months to come, senior U.S. officials said.
"If we had delivered a fraction of the weapons we have delivered after 2022, we may have actually prevented the war," former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
"Russian losses, again both killed and wounded in action, in just the first year of the war exceeded the total of all Soviet losses in any conflict since World War II combined," a senior Pentagon official said.
The U.S. warned that Russia, Iran, and China have "increasingly used generative AI to create more believable text, inauthentic synthetic audio, and video that may enhance their ability to reach U.S. audiences while hiding their origins."
Twelve people were injured, including a 3-year-old girl, authorities said. Rescuers are searching for more victims who may be buried under the rubble.
From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, men aged 18 to 30 living in occupied Kherson Oblast will be subject to conscription into the Russian military for a period of 12 months.
More than 90,000 vacancies for defense industry jobs appeared on Russian job portals between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15, with companies offering triple the average regional salary for workers with high-demand specialties.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) and Foreign Ministry evacuated 179 people, including 134 Ukrainian citizens, following Israel's ground incursion into southern Lebanon, the Foreign Ministry reported on Oct. 1.
"We discussed Ukraine's priority defense needs, further military aid, invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, and our path to EU membership," Sybiha said. The meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
"In the first half of this year alone, Ukraine produced 25 times more artillery and mortar ammunition than in the entire year of 2022," Zelensky said at the second international defense industry forum in Kyiv.
A military aid package that includes ammunition, computers, and logistical supplies will arrive in Ukraine this week, the Lithuanian government announced on Sept. 28. Lithuania has emerged as one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters amid Russia's full-scale war. The Baltic nation has provided Ukraine with helicopters, drones, armored vehicles, and air
Ukraine and its Western allies should not try "to fight to victory with a nuclear power," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 28. Since the launch of the full-scale invasion, Russia has repeatedly invoked the threat of its nuclear
Explosions on a railway bridge in Russia's Samara Oblast have damaged the concrete structures supporting the track, the Russian Telegram news channel Baza reported on Sept. 28. An "unknown device" exploded at around 1:30 p.m. local time near the city of Kinel, Baza reported. The explosion set off
